Process of peeling fruits and vegetables.



PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

, v E. J. JUDGE.

PROCESS OF FEELING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

'APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 21.1907.

snuontoz 1%! use:

Zi/J attowwg D smi es PigENT IC EDWARD J. JUDGE, or SAN RANoIsoo, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF PEELJNG FRUITS ,AN'D VEGETABLES.

, Specification of letters Patent.

Patented. April 16, 1907.

-. Application filedJanuary 21,1907. Serial no; 353.349.

To all whom itcortcei n: V

. Beit known that I, EDWARDJ: JUDGE, a citizen of the United States, res ding at San Francisco, in the county of San Franciscoand State of California, have invented new and. useful Improvements in Processes of.

Peeling Fruits and Vegetables, of which the following is a specification.

My'invention relates to. a new. and useful process of peeling fruit and vegetables by subjecting them to the action of a chemical or heat and chemical, whereby the skins are first loosened from the meat and then removed by the force of o posed jets of water, steam, or air, after which the peeled fruits or vegetables are subjected to the action of washing and blanching operations to elimi hate the remaining traces of chemicals and to bring out the natural color of the fruit or vegetable if the fruit or vegetable is underripe. a

The essential ob'ects of the present invention are to provi e a simple and effective ruits and -vegeta les in a commercial manner and to sterilize the peeled fruits or vegetables and repare them for the subsequent operation 0 canning.

The drawing illustrates .diagrammatically process for'quickl removing the skins from one form of apparatus by which my process may be carried out.

My process is a plicable to' all sorts of fruit-such as peac es, apricots, pears, &c. and vegetables, such as tomatoes, beets, and the like. Drupaceous fruits, such as peaches and apricots, ,are usually pitted beforebeing subjected to my process, this pitting'bei done by any of the methods now employe for this purpose and usually after 'the fruit has been graded as to size, variety, and condition; In givingout fruit to operatives for halving and pitting or to pittingmachines the largest size and best fruit should be first given, to be followed by lower grades" in segruence.

' he operatives usually make, five 5) grades-via, perfect green fruit, imperfect green fruit, ripe and sound perfect fruit, ripe fipnuperfect fru1t,.and pie for lowestgrade of Themethod usually adopted such'grad-, ing is to supply each 0 erator with as many small boxes or receptac 'es as there are grades con 'tion of the fruit being treated,

of fruit, each of said boxes holding about one half peck of fruit and each box receiving fruit of one grade only.

When the boxes are filled, each grade is collected and dumped into suitable rece tacles holding, say, from forty (40) to s1xty pounds. These receptacles are carried to a suitable point or station, and the fruit is subjected to my. process-for the purpose of having their skins removed. I

stated, the high gra e is preferably first treated, then the succeeding lower grades, leaving the lowest grade to the last. is because the sound green fruit usually re- The fruit being pre ared in the manner- This quires a greaterlength of treatment at certain stages in the rocess than the soft ripe fruit, so that by t e time the higher grade has been treated the solution which I use in my process, as I will presently explain, is about right for the next lower grade of fruit.

'.Whatever the grade of fruit said fruithalved in the case of drupaceous fruits -is dumped into a tank A, containing hot water and a spiral conveyer A or other means for advancmgflthe fruit therethrough. -'In this endless travel over suitably g -l llaced drums at 'ven at any ap-v the ends, said carrier being prcapriate speed and from any desired point an source of power.

The ,skin of the fruit having been loosened.

by the action of the solution or the hot water and solution is next brought in a layer one deep into the range of action of appropriate opposed jets b i) of water, steam, or air, w ch im inging with more or less force upon all sides of the fruit forcibly remove the new loosened skins piece after piece and'thoroughly rinse the ce led fruit. Theextent of spra g will 0 course depend uppn the ecause.

if the fruit is overripe it can stand less spraying and less force from the jets than when the fruit is greener or firmer; but in any event the force of the jets will be so regulated that while sufficient for all peeling and cleansing puroses it should not be sufficient to tear or mutilate the meat.

The extent of the zone wherein the fruit is subjected to the spr'aysis suflicient for all peeling and washing purposes. In fact, the amount of scalding, solution, and spraying is governed by the condition of. the fruit, as one variety will require more than another. This, however, the o erator learns by experience. The strengt 1 of the solution in the tank B varies with the fruit, as does the amount used in a stated time. When the skin is suficiently loosened to allow of the sprays removing the same from the meat, that is the proper degree, and it should be maintained at that point.

Having thus eeled the fruit by the combined action 0 the solution and fluid jet means, I next subject the peeled fruit to the action of a steam-bath for the purpose of sterilizing the fruit and blanching or further softening it to bring out the natural color and cause it to hold that color. That this step in the process may be carried out I cause the conveyer with its peeled fruit to traverse a steam box or chamber D, wherein the fruit is acted on by the steam for the purposes stated. From the steam box or chamber the now peeled and sterilized fruit is brought into the range of action of a second series of opposed jets c c of cool or cold Water for the purpose of cleansing the fruit and removing therefrom any particles of skin that may have remained thereon and to cool the fruit. The fruit is now ready for the can, having been thoroughly washed, peeled, and sterilized, so that it is absolutely clean from a sanitary point.

i It is well recognized in the art of canning that the condition of the fruit received from the growers overns the quality produced.

In the case 0 peaches, for instance, if they are sound, ripe and free from blemishes there will be but asmall amount of waste and verylittle labor-necessar ;'but if the fruit is decayed, scaly, or ful of fungous growths it will require more labor in grading, peeling, and removing such blemishes. Consequently the great advantage of my process over the hand method lies in the saving of labor, peeling, and size. The saving in labor varies according to the amount paid for handwork, but has averaged ten cents per fifty pounds of fruit. In peeling by hand the waste in peeling amounts to about twelve and one-half pounds to fifty.

pounds of fruit, or approximately twentyve per cent. There 1s also the saving in slze of the fruit. A two and onequarter inch peach when peeled by hand will not measure more than two inches on an average. When peeled by my process, the peach comes out approximately its original size, (if the fruit is properly graded, as before explained.) By thus retaining the size ofthe fruit a higher grade of canned product is obtained, as the low grades are always the smaller in size. Also by removing only the thin film representing the peel those properties of the fruit which lie nearest the skin and contribute so largely to the natural taste of the fruit are retained, thus improving the eating ualities of the canned product.

The t ree essential points, therefore, of saving in labor, peeling, and size are important in estimating the economies of my process over the hand method.

The operation on vegetables is substantially the same as on fruits. If vegetables like tomatoes are sound and free from blemishes, they come out peeled and whole, it being understood that the amount of solution in the tank B, the force of the sprays, and

the extent of steaming after spraying is governed by the condition of thetomatoes or other vegetable or fruit undergoing treatment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The process herein'described of peeling fruits and vegetables which process consists in subjecting the fruit or vegetable to a bath of skin-disintegrating solut on for the purpose of loosening the skin thereof; then passin the fruit across the range of action of fiui sprays of sufiicient force to remove the loosened skin; and then subjecting the peeled product to a steam-bath for the purose of removing any remaining traces of soution and to blanch said product.

2. The process herein described of peeling fruits and vegetables said process consisting in subjecting the fruit or vegetable to successive baths of hot water and a skin-disintegrating solution for the purpose of softening the fruit and breaking the skin thereof; then passing the fruit or vegetable into the range of action of opposed fluid sprays of suflicient force to remove the loosened skin; and then subjecting the peeled fruit or vegetable to a steam-bath for the purpose of eliminating any remaining traces of solution and to blanch said fruit or ve etable.

3. The process herein escribed of peeling fruits and vegetables said process consisting of the subjection of the fruit or vegetable to a bath of hot water and then to a bath of skin disintegrating solution whereby the fruit or vegetable is washed and softened and its skin broken and loosened; then passing force to detach -the loosened skin: then sfieaming the peeled fruit or vegetable to my hand in presence of 5W0 subscribing witelirlinatel an ;1 refinalrfing-traces' of felutiol nesses. w an to b arm 1; e uit or vegetab 'e' an finally, subjecting the fnlip or ve etable t6 EDWARD JUDGE 5 the action of hydraulic sprays 0 substan- I Witnesses:

tially low temperature. 0. W; FOWLER,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set T; W. FOWLER. 

